LoL Bush Control for Supports Guide

Hello people! I’m easel, and I like to teach people about the details of support.

Bush Control :

No matter what support, taking control of the bushes are very important. They allow you to pressure, and deny pressure from their support.

Let’s say I’m Karma. Karma has a very potent level 1, due to her immense damage with her Mantra Q. On the other side, they have a Zyra. She too has good damage, but it doesn’t kick in until about level 2-3.

This match-up could go either way

I decide to capitalize on Karma’s stronger level 1, by chunking Zyra, and pushing her away from the bushes.

or

Zyra plays it safe by not being aggressive early on, and waits for level 2 to kick in to start standing up to Karma.

By understanding support match-ups, you see how the lanes play out, and when you start to outscale the enemy support

Melee supports such as : Leona, Braum, Alistar are very weak at early levels. Leona hits a power spike at level 2, while Braum and Alistar wait a little longer until they start to ramp up.

AP Mage supports such as : Annie, Zyra, Karma, Sona, Morgana are hard hitting early on, however their power spike falls off until level 6 (Karma’s strong level 1-5, she falls off hard at level 6 compared to others).

Pure Utility supports such as : Nami, Janna, Blitzcrank, Lulu find their power spike at level 6. Some of them are able to play aggressive very early on, but then play it safe until their ultimate is available.

How do I get bush control and how do I maintain it?

Getting bush control comes from pressure. Pressure is the most important thing when it comes to laning, in any lane, whether it’s Top, Mid, ADC, or Support. There are some ways to pressure and examples of it.

Pure damage

Let’s go back to the Karma vs. Zyra match-up. Karma out damages Zyra level 1. Knowing this, Karma is able to be much more aggressive and push Zyra off the bush due to her damage, unless Zyra stays in the bush and lets Karma Mantra Q her for 40% of her HP.

Zoning

Supports like Thresh and Leona need to get the faster level 2 to establish pressure. The enemy knows Thresh’s Q + E is very strong, as well as Leona’s Q + E, so by pushing and pressuring with your level 2 spike, you’re going to make them back off.

Playing to their weaknesses

Supports such as Blitzcrank, Janna, Fiddlesticks, Braum, have a window where they become super weak due to their cooldowns. Flipping this around, Blitzcrank, Fiddle, and Braum have the opportunity to zone with their abilities (Blitz’s Q, Fiddle’s E, Braum’s Q).Knowing the cooldowns of the enemy support will allow pressure from your side.

Some supports have an easier time pressuring than others

Sona, Annie, Karma, Zyra, Blitzcrank, Morgana are the best champions pressuring wise. Their abilities either do immense damage, or have a very strong CC. Be cautious, when your zoning ability is down, you do become significantly weaker than you usually are.

Leona, Braum, Thresh, Alistar, Janna are difficult to pressure level 1. When level 2 kicks in, Thresh and Leona becomes great, but their level 1 is underwhelming. This is why I recommend to push early so your window of disadvantage is as small as possible. Janna is practically impossible to pressure alone, you’re going to need the help of your ADC. Alistar’s laning is weak, and ramps up level 6. Braum is odd. His laning is weak, but if you hit a Q on any enemy champion in lane, they are forced to back off due to the risk they take if they get hit any longer.